Current AirScout versions (V1.3.x.x) - Frequently Asked Questions
Is AirScout a free software? Yes. AirScout is free for personal ham radio related use.
Is the source code of AirScout free for everyone? Yes. It is released under the GNU GPL V3 licence. The source code is available on Github. Please send me an email if you have other questions.
On which operating systems AirScout will run? AirScout is compiled with the "Any-CPU" option. It runs on 32bit/64bit architectures and on Windows/Linux(Mono) operating systems without any modification.
Most software comes with an installation procedure. Why AirScout does not have an installer? The software is developed under Microsoft's .NET 4.0 platform with Visual C# 2010 Express and does not need an installation procedure.
Can I reuse my software settings from older versions of AirScout? Sometimes yes. It depends on the major version. Each time you are upgrading the software, a new set of parameters is generated automatically.
I don't want to publish my location information via Internet. Can I use AirScout anyway? No, you can't. Starting with AirScout V1.2 the sending of location information is mandatory.
I am living outside Europe. Can I use this software the same way like European users do? Yes. The default software distribution package shows settings for Central European users.
I do'nt speak English very well. Is it possible to include other language packs? Not yet, sorry. This is a fun project and I have only limited resources for program development and documentation. After starting AirScout for the first time I miss planes or elevation data. What happened?
Nothing special. Starting with V1.2, AirScout is using a SQLite database to keep all information. The database is set up on first run and is updated later in the background. You can see the database status on the lower right corner of program's main window. If you miss some informatoin simply wait for status "Database is up to date." and the green sign. What is the frequency range Aircraft Scatter does occur?
As I have got information from all over the world, Aircraft Scatter is confirmed from 50MHz up to 10GHz. Can I run AirScout without an Internet connection?
Yes. But you will never see any aircraft on the screen because there is no other way to get plane positions so far.
I am running AirScout in an outside location with a GPRS/UMTS - connection. How much bandwith and data volume will this consume? This is very much depending on the air traffic and focus. AirScout is fetching global plane positions once per minute by default.
I am afraid of legal issues. Can I run AirScout without getting plane positions from Internet? Yes. Simply uncheck the "Use plane feeds from internet" ath the "Options/Planes" tab. But you will lose most of the functionality depending on the online plane positions.
I am running my own ADS-B receiver. Can I use the position information in AirScout? Basically yes. You can feed data from a DVB-T stick solution using rtl1090.exe or similar.
Why should I use the SRTM3 elevation model? AirScout is using the GLOBE (1km x 1km) elevation model by default. This model is rather smooth but has significant elevation erros due to strong averaging.
I got rid of downloading tons of elevation data. Can I reuse the data files from anywhere else? Not with V1.3. AirScout is using a special elevation tile format based on a 6digit Maidenhead Locator but with additional min/max information. It took me many days to calculate and store all these files for the whole globe. As a result, AirScout can load exactly those elevation tiles needed to cover your area of interest and can use best case elevation values for internal calculations in a fraction of a second.
Why should I use exact locations rather than a 6digit Maidenhead Locator? AirScout is using the midpoint of a given 6digit Maidenhead Locator by default. This is OK as long as your are using the GLOBE elevation model.
Where can I maintain my exact location so that others can use it for their path calculation? The best way is to maintain your location at QRZ.COM. Simply open your/create a new account and update your location by entering numeric lat/long information or by dragging the needle on the map.
The elevation (above sea level) of My Station / DX Station is not correct and cannot be set. Where can I set it to correct values? I'd like to observe the propagation path to multiple QSO partners at one time. Is this possible in AirScout? Starting with V1.3: yes. AirScout has now a pre-calculation service which calculates all the possible pathes from your location to all other locations and all other frequencies. The results are stored in the database for further reuse. See the new tab control on the right with "Single", "Multi" and "Options" tab. When selecting "Multi" you will get the new Multi-Path mode of AirScout allowing you to supervise more than one path from the watch list. Please note that the Multi-Path mode is consuming a lot of CPU power.
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